Brittney Griner's appreciation for wearing the Team USA uniform is at an all-time high entering the 2024 Olympics . Since the WNBA star last played in a major international women's basketball tournament for the United States, she spent almost 10 months detained in Russia under excruciating circumstances.
Griner told the Associated Press she gets "chills" now when she puts on her Team USA jersey, adding, "It means everything to me honestly. For me to now have the honor to wear it again and potentially win gold is icing on the cake for everything."
The 33-year-old, considered one of the best players of her generation, at one point believed she might never see America again. Russian authorities detained Griner in 2022 for allegedly possessing cannabis vape cartridges and only released her in a prisoner swap with arms dealer Viktor Bout .
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Such a harrowing experience changed Griner's outlook on what it means to be a U.S. citizen. She told reporters last year: "What I went through and everything, it just means a little bit more to me now. ... I was literally in a cage and could not stand the way I wanted to."
Remarkably, Griner's on-court performance level remains elite. She's played in the WNBA All-Star Game in each of her two seasons since returning from Russia. This year, the Phoenix Mercury post player averages 18.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
However, the 6-foot-9 center will need more mental fortitude to tune out a divided reception to her Team USA contributions back home. Some media critics, the majority from conservative-leaning publications, portray Griner as unpatriotic because she protested social injustice during national anthems before her time in Russia. But Griner never explicitly stated dislike for her home nation; rather, she said she wanted to draw attention to areas where the U.S. could improve.
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“[Calling me unpatriotic] blows my mind because my dad fought for this country … Vietnam Marines, law enforcement for 30-plus years,” she told "The View" last year. “That was my hero. I wanted to be a cop. I didn’t want to play basketball growing up. I wanted to be a cop and belong to the military, actually.
“Doesn’t it make me more American that I’m demonstrating a protest? That’s my right as an American. For me to be called un-American, I was blown away at that.”
Regardless of how Griner is perceived in the United States media over the next few weeks, her coaches and teammates at the Paris Olympics will have her back.
"That is something when you think about it. Think outside the Olympics, someone's personal experience and what she went through and continues to go through," said Team USA head coach Cheryl Reeve. "We were all thinking of BG when she was away and we didn't know if this moment would be possible. I'm thrilled for her personally and thrilled for our basketball team."
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